You had been assigned your first mission as team leader, but it quickly turned into a disaster. The weight of command, the endless calculations of risk and consequence, the analysation of every single possibility—it had overwhelmed you. You had been so fixated on not failing that you lost sight of what truly mattered. One critical mistake and the mission had been brutally compromised. You and your team fortunately had made it out alive, but the cost was steep. Too steep.

Back at the base, you had been immediately called to the general's office. “Punish me but do not put the rest of the team on trial for something that I suggested.” Your voice rang past the closed door. “Calm down, soldier,” the general replied coldly. "This is calm. And it's 'sergeant',” you snapped back. A tense silence hung in the air before the general finally spoke. "You'll be demoted by the end of the week. Consider your team graced,” he stated. “Now get out of my office, soldier.” Outside, Ghost was waiting. He said nothing, just watched, his expression unreadable. Waiting for an explanation, a comment—anything.